WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON NEWS

THE USE OK .MAIZE. [Special To The Guardian.] AY ELLINGTON, January 7. The “ Economist ” (London) directs attention to the increasing use of mai/.o in the principal European countries, which it describes as one of the most interesting developments in commodities for the past few years. This development is said to be one of the causes of the high price of maize on the market, where the best grades demand a higher price than asked for low grade ivlieat. The upward movement in price has been’ relatively steady since 1925, affected only by crop variations. In 11)13 maize was only roughly half the price of wheat. For many years now world production of maize has exceeded wheat.

The average world production of maize is estimated roughly at 450 million quarters of 4801 b each, as compared with 416 million quarters of wheat. The effect of increased demand in advancing the price of maize is intentsified by the fact that world production shows no signs of any great increase, although in the case of one or tw'o producing countries great advances in production have been made, in view of the trend in price. Although maizo is a very valuable foodstuff, its principal use is for stock feeding, to which has been added a greatly Increased demand for poultry feeding in Europe during the past few years. As a foodstuff South Africa alone requires some 700,000 tons annually to feed its native population with “mealies,” while in the United States, ■apart from the large consumption by the negro population of the South, maize is a popular food among the farm popular of the Middle AVest, in the form of “ corn ” bread and cakes, and as hominy, and is used generally all over the country in many forms as breakfast foods of the patent “flaked” variety. Corn starch, or cornflour, as we call it, is a valuable maize product for invalid use. To such cases must be added the many others which modern chemistry has devised, whereby maize can be adopted to serve not only as a direct foodstuff, *but in the processes of manufacture of many articles as diverse in their . human uses as starch, syrups, toffee, mineral waters, condensed milk, brewers’ sugar, baby foods, chewing gum, adhesives, leather, carets and rope. A valuable oil is also expressed from the maize germ,; which is used in increasing quantities for soap making, and, when refined, has a wide marketer use in the preparation of salad dressings, mayonnaise, etc. The amount of corn oil used in such ways in 1926 exceeded 120,000,0001 b. So far as maize is concerned, the United States are far and away the greatest producers, as they are the greatest users, the American corn crop (the word maize is not used in America) being roughly each year equal to twothirds of the world’s total production. Although American production has doubled itself during the past 50 years, the bulk of the maize crop has always been kept in the country, as it has been found more profitable to consume and export maize in the form of individual products such as cattle, beef, and pork. This tendency has increased as the area laid down to maize by the settlement and development of the Great Middle AVest has progressed, so that, whereas in 1878, with half today’s production, the United States exported 6.3 per cent of its maize crop in the form of grain, the actual exports since 1923 have" not equalled 1 per cent of the total maize harvested. Europe is therefore dependent for its main supply of maize upon the other countries. Its principal sources of supply are the Danube countries and Argentine, where maize cultivation has made remarkable strides, the Argentine exports having doubled themselves during the past five years, incidentally providing a cargo of increasing value to British and other shipping to the River Platte. Argentine differs from most producing countries in exporting a greater proportion of its annual crop, other countries following the lead of the United States in retaining the bulk of their production for home consumption. One reason for the immense absorption of maize in America may be found in the fact that pork consumption there accounts for 46 per cent of the meal eaten. The per capita consumption of pork in 1926 is officially stated at 65.711 b. It is doubtful whether New Zealand can enter this business, for at present we are hardly able to satisfy our own requirements.